A bill intended to help prevent remote stalking in Pennsylvania has passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming support.

If ever it makes it to the governor’s desk, the legislation would prohibit the use of electronic location tracking devices to monitor another person’s movement without their permission.

“My bill not only gives neighbors their peace of mind and privacy back, but it would protect them from those seeking to do them harm,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Pittsburgh.

According to Sophie Cox of Duke Research Blog, an AirTag is a small tracking device that can connect to any nearby Apple device using Bluetooth.

AirTags were released by Apple in April 2021 and are designed to help users keep track of items like keys and luggage.

For example, people who lose their keys can open the “Find My” app on his phone (installed by default on Apple devices)

If anyone else with an Apple device has been near his keys since he lost them, the Bluetooth technology will let him see where his keys were when the Apple device user passed them — or took them.

It’s smart technology at its best — until it’s misused.

According to Cox, there are numerous reports of AirTags being used to stalk people.

An example is someone going to a bar and later finding an AirTag in their bag or jacket without knowing who put it there.

“It’s crucial that the legislature stays proactive when it comes to preventing bad actors from misusing this technology,” said Powell when introducing the legislation.

Apple says that it has made every effort to prevent misuse of its products, which are intended to help people find commonly misplaced objects like keys.

Both Apple and Android phones offer apps that allow users to detect trackers in their vicinity, but many don’t know about the existence of these devices or the apps required to identify them.

The bill comes as a class action lawsuit against Apple moves forward claiming that AirTags are being used by stalkers to track their victims. The small and discreet tags can be placed on people’s cars or possessions and used to locate them at any time.

The bill lays out a number of exceptions to the ban.

Law officers would still be able to use trackers during the course of an investigation, and it would still be legal to track people in diversion programs and on parole or probation.

Parents would still be able to use them to track children if they are the sole legal guardian or if both parents agree.

Additionally, physicians could recommend them to legal caretakers for disabled adults, and businesses could install them on fleet vehicles.

In Pennsylvania, stalking is a first degree misdemeanor subject to fines and up to 90 days in jail. Additional offenses are treated as third-degree felonies. Several other states have laws regarding the use of remote tracking devices.

This is the third time such a bill has been introduced in the House.

Last session, it also passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support but was never brought to a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The bill passed 201-2 with support of all Times News area legislators. It was opposed by Republicans Carl Metzgar of Somerset and Barbara Gleim of Carlisle.

CHRISTINA LENGYEL | The Center Square